My stomach drops. Whatever he's about to say, I know it will be worse than his original demand.
"I don't want her for a night." Mikhail stops in front of us, his blue eyes moving between Dimitri and me with calculating interest. "I want her permanently."
The words hang in the air like poison.
"You can keep your territory, Dima. Your businesses. Your reputation. Everything." Mikhail's smile widens. "But Alina becomes my wife. We'll annul her marriage to you. She'll stand at my side as I rebuild my empire. A fitting prize, don't you think? The woman who brought down Viktor Popov. The woman who survived the church massacre. She'll be perfect."
Bile rises in my throat. I think about this man's hands on me, his mouth on mine, being forced to share his bed. The thought makes my skin crawl.
Dimitri's rage is palpable now. I can feel it in every line of his body, in the way his breathing has changed, in the tremor running through his arm where it touches mine. But when he speaks, his voice is controlled, deadly calm.
"No."
The single word carries absolute finality.
Mikhail's smile fades. "You're in no position to refuse, old friend. Look around you." He gestures at his men, at the weapons still trained on us. "You're outnumbered. Your men are surrounded. You have no leverage here."
"I have her." Dimitri pulls me closer, his arm wrapping around my waist. The possessiveness in the gesture is unmistakable. "And that's all the leverage I need."
My heart stutters. He's choosing me. Over his empire, over his businesses, over everything he's built. He's willing to die rather than let Mikhail take me.
I think about the pregnancy test hidden in the bathroom trash. About the secret growing inside me that Dimitri doesn't know about yet. About Katya, safe at the estate but still vulnerableif this goes wrong. About the future we're supposed to have together.
I can't let him sacrifice everything for me. I won't.
A plan begins forming in my mind. It's desperate and dangerous, but it might be our only chance. I need to buy time, need to create an opening for Dimitri's men to act. And I need Mikhail to believe I'm surrendering.
I step forward, pulling away from Dimitri's protective hold. His hand tightens, trying to keep me close, but I gently extract myself. When I look back at him, I try to communicate everything with my eyes.
Trust me. Please trust me.
His green eyes search my face, confusion and fear warring in their depths. But he releases me.
I turn to face Mikhail, my chin lifted, my shoulders back. I channel every ounce of strength I've developed over these past weeks. The woman who killed her father. The woman who survived kidnapping and torture. The woman who married a Bratva boss and lived to tell the tale.
"I'll do it." My voice is steady, clear. "I'll agree to become your wife."
Dimitri makes a sound behind me, something between a growl and a protest. I don't turn around, can't turn around, or I'll lose my nerve.
Mikhail's eyebrows rise. "Will you now?"
"But I have conditions." I take another step closer to him, close enough to see the surprise flickering in his cold blue eyes. "Youpromise not to harm Dimitri. You let him keep everything he has. His territory, his businesses, his position. And you promise that my sister, Katya, remains untouched. She's innocent in all of this. She gets to live her life in peace."
Mikhail studies me for a long moment. I can see him calculating, weighing the offer, looking for the trap. Because there has to be a trap. No woman would willingly trade herself like this without some ulterior motive.
But I keep my face neutral, my expression resigned. As if I've accepted the inevitable.
"And in exchange?" Mikhail asks softly.
"In exchange, I'll marry you. I'll stand at your side. I'll be the perfect Bratva wife." The words taste like ash in my mouth, but I force them out. "I'll help you rebuild your empire. I'll use everything I've learned from Dimitri to make you stronger."
Behind me, I hear Dimitri's sharp intake of breath. He thinks I'm serious. He thinks I'm actually surrendering.
Good. If Dimitri believes it, Mikhail will too.
Mikhail circles me again, slower this time. Assessing. "You would betray your husband so easily?"
"I'm not betraying him." I meet his eyes steadily. "I'm saving him. There's a difference."
